Nearly half of Afghan prisoners complain of being tortured or mistreated in
custody, a government inquiry has conceded, even as Kabul denied there was
systematic abuse of detainees.

The investigation found torture was rife during arrest and interrogation, though claimed it didn't happen once the prisoners had been sent to jail.

The admission appeared to be a significant reversal for the Afghan government, which only last month said similar accusations in a United Nations report were "exaggerated" and "untrue".

It also means a headache for Nato forces battling the Taliban. They are under legal obligation not to hand over suspects to the Afghan forces if they are likely to face torture.

British forces in Helmand have already stopped transferring suspected Taliban captives and American forces have stopped sending prisoners to 34 detention centres implicated in torture.

Last month Kabul rejected a UN report which found more than half of prisoners interviewed had been tortured and ill-treatment was on the rise. Some complained of being hung from the ceiling by their wrists, beaten and given electric shocks.

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Hamid Karzai formed a commission to look at the UN accusations and its head, Abdul Qadir Adalatkhwa admitted that torture and beatings occurred in the first stages of arrest "but not while they are in prison."

He said 148 of 284 prisoners interviewed complained of torture and mistreatment during arrest or questioning. Of those 136 cases were confirmed, he said.

Two thirds of detainees said they were not given defence lawyers.

International officials in Kabul said they welcomed the findings, but were now waiting to see if police and security chiefs implicated in torture would be fired and prosecuted. In the past, torturers have only been moved on to other police stations, or even promoted.

Human rights activists are also worried torture will increase as foreign troops leave and there is less scrutiny of Afghan jails.

Georgette Gagnon, the UN's human rights chief in Afghanistan, said she welcomed "the government's attention and increased efforts to address this serious problem in Afghan detention facilities".

"The UN looks forward to receiving and reviewing the delegation's report, and providing follow up suggestions to improve detention policies and practices."